“If there was ever a new technology that made movie stars feel even less indispensable and more outmoded than they already are, it would be 3-D. By definition, 3-D extravaganzas are genre films dominated by splashy computer-generated visual effects — in other words, exactly the kinds of movies that don’t need a movie star in the first place.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Digging In Shakespeare’s Garden
“Scraps of pottery, broken clay pipe and a 19th century penny have emerged from a muddy hole in what was a garden until a week ago. But this is the most extensive hunt for Shakespeare in his own backyard in 150 years, and every scrap is precious.”
Angels: The Next Big Trend In Young Adult Fiction?
“Just like their blood-sucking supernatural cousins, angels are half-human visitors who can both fly and usefully suggest the mysterious adult world of sexuality that lies beyond. It is a thought that appears to have simultaneously occurred to authors and publishers searching for a new cult reading trend.”
Shepard Fairey’s Lawyers Must Tell Who Destroyed Records
A district court judge “said lawyers must disclose relevant documents that were deleted or destroyed from Fairey’s files and when the deletions or destruction occurred. [The judge] further said the lawyers must disclose the identities of anyone who tampered with or destroyed records, commanded and supervised the acts or was told about them.”
What Is The Future Of Modern Dance In America?
“Look at this indigenous but fragile American art form, and you see fundamental change. There’s been a downsizing, a redefining, a splintering into countless small niches. … No one with broad-based stature and a track record of creating marketable and enduring work is poised to take over from the pillars of the field.”
The iPad As Reader’s Sanctuary
Laura Miller: “I know that my laptop can do just about everything the iPad can, but it’s not designed to be curled up with at the end of [a] long day; it’s the long day’s main battleground. … The iPad may not be ideal for what the tech industry calls ‘productivity,’ but it’s well-suited for the purpose I had in mind: absorption.”
Bill T. Jones Co. To Merge With Dance Theater Workshop
“The two groups will combine their boards and staff into one entity with a new name and mission, though the final details are still being worked out.” DTW’s executive director “said the groups have been working on the merger since October, and that she expects the two boards to sign the final legal documents by the end of May.”
Is Dallas Big Enough For Two Presenters Of B’way Shows?
“On one side is the 70-year-old Dallas Summer Musicals, which operates at stately Fair Park Music Hall. On the other is the 5-month-old AT&T Performing Arts Center, which hosts the Lexus Broadway Series at the shimmering Winspear Opera House. The two are competing for the same entertainment dollar in the toughest economy in decades.”
At Gettysburg, A Neutra Cyclorama Triumphs Over Foes
“In 1999, the National Park Service announced its intention to move [a painting depicting Pickett’s charge] and tear down the building … to restore the landscape to its 1863 appearance. The decision touched off a long battle between Civil War purists and modern-architecture preservationists that may have finally reached its conclusion.”
Screenwriters Embrace Product Placement
In a break with past practice, “writers and producers themselves are cutting the deals often before the movie is cast or the script is fully shaped…. Now, having Campbell’s Soup or Chrysler associated with your project can be nearly as important to your pitch as signing Tom Cruise.”